The Way They Were, The Way They Are
by TheLadyInGold
Summary: In the afterlife, Germania shares stories of his children with Rome... why not? They've got plenty of time!
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

"...and I tell you, they just were so cute," Grandpa Rome gushed. "The cutest ever." He nudged his friend Germania and grinned. "You know, in a way I'm glad you joined me here... after you put me out of my misery, I felt much better... but I was getting bored not having anyone to talk to*."

Germania chuckled ruefully. Even in the afterlife, Rome talked enough for ten people. Some things never change, he thought to himself, no matter where you are.

"So what about you?" Rome asked him.

"What about me?" Germania replied.

"I've told you all about my boys... what about yours?"

Germania sat deep in thought for a few minutes. His older sons* had come along when he was young, and he'd given them a very regimented, almost martial, upbringing... he wanted to make warriors out of them. But his younger children... he was getting a little older then, and he'd been a far more doting parent.

"Well..." he began, "I suppose I have a few stories I could tell you."

Rome waved his hand around him. "We've got plenty of time now, so why not?"

"All right, then," Germania replied.

NOTES:

1. I once read a fanfic that had Germania's killing of grandpa Rome as an act of mercy to end his great suffering. It also portrayed the two as good friends and comrades... I wish I could find it to credit the author, but I can't. If anyone has any info about it, please message me.  
>2. There is some controversy as to whether the Germanic nations are Germania's sons or grandsons. Here, I have made them his sons. Also, I have included Switzerland as one of Germania's kids because Mr. Himaruya did so in a strip that had grandpa Rome and Germania discussing "cute ones" (grandpa referring to girls, but Germania's thoughts went to his family). That strip actually was the first inspiration for this story. 3. In a lot of fan art, Germania is portrayed as an affectionate papa to his kids, and I have also drawn inspiration from that. (Credit where it's due.)<p> 


	2. Austria's Unwell

The embers of the dying fire cast a dull red light over the darkened room. A single candle flickered on a table, where a tall thin man with a heavily lined face was concentrating on mixing various powders. Another man, heavyset and ruddy, his black robes billowing around him, hurried back and forth between the man at the table and a bed in the middle of the room with a very small child in it.

At a casual glance, the only observation that one might make was that he was a beautiful child- dark hair, startling violet eyes and delicate features. But upon closer inspection, it was evident that the boy was very, very ill. His entire face was a deathly white except for two angry livid spots on his sunken cheeks, and his eyes had a feverish glaze to them. In between the violent coughing fits that wracked his tiny body he shivered uncontrollably.

His father sat in a chair nearby, anxiously watching the physician and apothecary working their crafts in an attempt to save his son. _The lad's been sick before, but never like this_, he thought to himself. Another violent coughing fit shook the child and he whimpered with pain. "_Mein Gott_," the father whispered, his voice cracking, "_mein Gott_."

"Vati," the child croaked, as soon as his coughing fit ended.

"Yes, Roddichen," the father replied.

The huge violet eyes fixed on him and he said in a tiny voice, "Hold me please..."

He didn't have to ask twice. Vati leapt from his chair and rushed to his son's side. Two tiny, pale hands reached upward weakly, and Vati carefully lifted Roddichen into his lap. Throwing the blanket about them both, he cuddled the frail form close to him. The tiny voice spoke again, in a strained tone.

"My chest hurts, Vati."

"Shh, Roddichen. You're going to be fine."

The little one contentedly nestled himself into his father's embrace. "Thank you, Vati," he sighed. _He does seem a little more comfortable when I hold him_, Vati thought. In fact, his cough eased and he seemed to get a little drowsy... but then, the physician returned from the apothecary's table.

"I need to give him this," the man said to Vati, holding out the bowl and spoon.

"No, Vati," the little boy protested in a pitiful voice. "No more medicine, please..." A few tears trickled down the child's fevered cheeks, and Vati's heart twisted in his chest.

"He needs to take it," the physician insisted in a harsh tone. "His lungs are filling with humors, and if we don't do something soon, he'll die."

Vati looked the man in the eye and said sternly, "Then I'll give it to him myself." He looked back to Roddichen and asked him softly, "Roddi, my little man, would you take the medicine if Vati gave it to you?"

The boy bobbed his head. "Yes, Vati."

Vati took the bowl and spoon from the physician, who hurried back to consult with the apothecary. Roddichen opened his mouth weakly and Vati began spooning the dark, foul-smelling mixture into it. After a few spoonfuls the boy began retching uncontrollably, then started to cry.

"I can't take that, Vati," he sobbed. "I just can't."

"Oh, Roddi," Vati whispered, and a single tear squeezed from his eye. He felt helpless, sitting there, stroking Roddichen's hair, and listening to him weep softly. He rocked the poor little boy and rubbed his tiny back until his cries subsided.

"Vati," the child whimpered.

"What is it, my Roddi?" Vati answered, his voice barely audible.

"I'm tired of being sick all the time," the boy said in a weary voice. "I don't think I want to live anymore."

Vati broke down and began to weep. "Roddi," he choked, "Roddi..." He held the little one tightly to his chest, stifling his cries in the edge of the blanket wrapped around them both. The sight of his beloved father crying drew a fresh flood of tears from the little one.

"Vati, I'm sorry," he cried, "I didn't mean to make you sad... I'll be good... I love you Vati..."

"Roddichen," Vati gasped, trying to collect himself, "I love you so much... I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'll take my medicine, Vati, I will," Roddichen said, trying to please him.

Suddenly, an idea entered Vati's head. He called for the apothecary to bring him a spoonful of honey. Mixing the honey into the medicine, Vati looked at his child and said in a gentle tone, "Let's try it now, Roddi."

Once again he began spooning the mixture into his son's mouth. This time the honey made the medicine more palatable and the little one was able to finish it. "There, Roddichen, was that better?" Vati asked, wiping the boy's face with a cloth.

"Yes, Vati," Roddichen answered him, sighing, as he laid his little head on his father's sturdy shoulder. As the medicine started taking effect, Roddichen became drowsy, his long eyelashes fluttering toward his pale cheeks. He yawned quietly and nestled close to his Vati, and after a few minutes, he was sweating profusely. The physician returned and examined the child... and his report was encouraging.

"His fever's broken," the physician said in a relieved tone, but before he could say anymore, Roddichen sat bolt upright and gagged. "Vati..." he choked and began coughing fiercely again. The physician held a cloth to the boy's mouth, for this time, his coughing produced large quantities of a foul black matter. "Good, that's just what he needed to do."

Roddichen gasped and wearily slumped against Vati's chest. The physician listened to his lungs then and pronounced them clear. "Now we'll let him rest," the physician said quietly to Vati as he motioned for the apothecary to gather up his things. "I'll be in my quarters... call me if you need anything else for him."

Vati nodded, and with that, the physician and apothecary left the room.

"Vati?" The little boy whispered. "Can I have some water please?"

"Of course," Vati replied. He poured a small amount of water into a cup from the pitcher that sat at the bedside. Holding it to his son's lips, he said softly, "Rinse your mouth first, little man."

Roddichen rinsed his mouth and spat weakly into the basin that Vati held up for him. He then sipped a little water and yawned again. "I'm tired..."

"You must be, little man," Vati replied tenderly, bathing Roddichen's face with a cloth dipped in cool water. Vati carefully lifted the boy into his bed, then lay down beside him. Roddichen snuggled into the crook of Vati's muscular arm and closed his eyes. As he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, his tiny fingers twisted gently in Vati's long blond hair.

"Goodnight, Vati, I love you," he breathed.

"Oh, Roddi," Vati said, swallowing hard and planting a kiss on the boy's head, "I love you too."

Germania was silent for a few minutes, then he remarked, "I'm glad that medicine took effect when it did..."

Grandpa Rome broke in. "The medicine had very little to do with it." Germania looked at him, startled, and he continued, "That little boy made it through because his papa loved him."

"Do you really think so?" Germania asked.

"As sure as I'm sitting here," Rome answered, nodding. "Because he knew you loved him it gave him strength. And... well, just look at him now!"

The handsome, dark haired young man seated at the piano saw nothing else in the ballroom... not the people seated in chairs listening to him, not the ballroom itself... he really didn't even see the keys of the piano as his fingers moved nimbly over them. All he saw was the music itself. It seemed as though clouds of music notes swirled and danced around him as he played. Finally, as he came to the end of his recital, he also came back to being aware of his surroundings...

Applause! Hearty applause... a standing ovation, to be exact. The faintest hint of a smile crossed his face as voices began calling out to him from the group that had been seated around him and his piano.

"Amazing," one said.

"That was fantastic, Roderich," another told him.

"Thank you," he replied, quietly, modestly, still with the same faint smile on his face.

His smile grew into a full-fledged grin and his violet eyes twinkled as a very pretty young woman with long brown hair stepped forward with a dozen red roses. She laid them on the piano and smiled at the man. "Bravo," she said softly. "Bravo."

At that, Germania felt a smile crossing his own face.

"Not too bad for a poor sick little baby who didn't want to live anymore, hmm?" Rome said with a grin.

Notes

1. I know that Germania wouldn't speak modern German. Solely artistic license.  
>2. My thought is that since Austria is the least militaristic of his siblings (and supposed to be the weakest) that he had been sickly as a child, leaving him much weaker than his brothers.<br>3. Hungary. Awwwwww... (one of the few pairings that I do ship... come on, they're still pretty much married in everything but name) Also, Hungary seems like the type to give flowers to a guy.  
>4. Grandpa and Germania are in the afterlife, so they can see what Austria is doing.<br>again, not claiming complete historical accuracy (artistic license... this is a fanfic, not a serious novel so I'm not going to spend huge amounts of time researching.  
>6. Misspellings and misuse of any non-English terms will be corrected if you message me. I welcome that.<p> 


	3. Prussia's Unhappy

"I think you missed your calling in the former life," Rome told Germania. "You should have been a poet."

Germania chuckled. "I'm afraid that I'm a long way from that." Silence passed for a few minutes. Hmmm, Germania thought, Rome's being awful quiet. He glanced over at his friend and noticed that Rome was looking at him expectantly.

"Are you going to tell me any more?" Rome asked him. "I mean, I have plenty of stories, and I only had two boys. You had twice as many... _ergo_..."

This time Germania actually laughed. "All right, my friend, let me think..."

"Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!" The voice startled Vati out of his reverie. He looked up to see one of his men carrying his kicking, struggling, red-faced young son by the back of his shirt. The man carried the white-haired boy to his father and rather unceremoniously dumped him at Vati's feet.

"Been fighting again, my lord," the man told Vati. The little lad glared up at the soldier who had carried him. Vati sighed. The boy was a mess- shirt torn, a bruise on his cheek, dirty from head to foot...

"Again?" Vati said a bit wearily.

The man nodded. "That Hun lad."

Vati dismissed the man. "Thank you, I'll take care of it." Then he turned his attention to the young boy sitting on the ground in front of him, staring moodily at his filthy hands. "Let's go for a ride."

A groom brought Vati his horse, saddled, and held the huge gray steed as he mounted. He kicked his foot out of the stirrup and held his hand out to his son. The boy grasped his father's hand, stepped into the stirrup, and swung up onto the horse's back behind the saddle, and away they went.

They rode in silence for a while, the boy clinging tightly to his father. They crossed a small stream and rode through small clumps of trees, the only sounds the horse's hoofbeats and birds chirping every now and again. Finally, the silence was broken as father addressed son. "And now, Gilly?" Vati said quietly.

"He called me ugly, Vati," Gilly said, half angrily, half despondently. "He said I look like a monster."

Vati's heart ached for his child. He knew this would happen, since the child was born looking... so... different. In fact, people often stopped and gawked at him when he went places with his father, or pointed and whispered, or openly mocked him. Sometimes, they even changed sides of the street to avoid him... and there were very few parents who would let their children play with him. Most of the time, Vati could silence them with a glare, but when he wasn't around...

Truth be known, Gilly conducted himself quite well in the face of all this. But, there were times when such unrelenting cruelty grew to be too much for him, and he lashed out in anger. And, for some reason, that wild little Hun boy delighted in tormenting Gilly. Vati really would have liked to have given that little rogue a good thrashing himself, but he knew that wouldn't help Gilly's cause much, and might only make things worse.

"Stupid Hun," Gilly growled. "One of these days, he'll be sorry. He will!" His scarlet eyes blazed... then drooped. He apprehensively asked, "Do... do you think I'm ugly, Vati?" His father reined the horse to a stop and lifted him down.

"Not at all, my little soldier," Vati told him, putting his arm around the boy's slumped shoulders. "I think you're quite a handsome fellow, to be honest." He pulled the sturdy boy close to him. Gilly put his arms around his father and leaned dejectedly on him.

"Why are people afraid of me, then?"

Vati thought carefully, then looked down at his boy's upturned face. "Because, Gilly, sometimes people are afraid of things they aren't used to." He laid his hand on Gilly's cheek and looked him lovingly in the eye. "But the problem is with them. Not you. "

"Really?" Gilly said hopefully.

"Absolutely," Vati answered. "Besides, it's not what's on the outside, but what's on the inside that will endure. Do you know what I think of you?"

"What, Vati?" Gilly asked. Vati smiled warmly and knelt so that he could look his son in the eye.

"I think," Vati told him, "that you are my bravest soldier. I think that you will be a great warrior someday... far greater than I could ever be." Gilly gasped. "I think... Gilly, I think you are awesome."

"Me? Awesome? Thank you, Vati," Gilly cried. He embraced Vati tightly, and Vati was immensely pleased at the boy's strength, both inside and out. Yes, he will be a great warrior someday, Vati thought. "I love you so much, Gilly."

"I love you too, Vati. You're my hero."

Germania said softly, "I always thought he was a beautiful child, really." Rome still said nothing, just smiled...

"Aaaaaand... finished!" The man clicked "Publish" on the screen of the laptop he'd been hunched over. "Look out world, here comes your daily dose of awesome! Okay, weekly..." He laughed and raked his hands through his white hair, petting a small bird perched on his head as he did so. "Kesesesese! Okay, then, whenever I feel like it. I think I'm entitled to a little break after all..." He rubbed his scarlet eyes and stretched in his chair.

Yes, he thought, I think I've earned my retirement, as he stood up and stretched more vigorously. There were times when he felt all those years of waging battle after battle... his joints ached and he got a little stiff. He also noticed that he didn't move quite as fast as he used to, and that it took him a little longer to rise and shine in the morning... but he was still alive, and feeling as awesome as ever. It IS good to be king, he thought as he wandered off to the kitchen to forage, leaving this on the screen of his laptop:

**_Gilbert Beilschmidt's Totally Awesome Blog Written For Me By Me_**

**_Bio: the short version: I am awesome._**  
><strong><em>The long version: look me up on Wikipedia under the name "Awesome Prussia"... okay, just Prussia. There you will find a compendium of my awesomeness, including my many military victories and vast land holdings, a bio of Old Fritz, my second biggest hero...<em>**

At this Rome commented, "You know who his first hero is, don't you?" Germania smiled softly. "And they say the kids never listen to their parents," Rome said, arching his eyebrow.

Notes:

1. In earlier times, albinos were discriminated against and often regarded as being evil. Here, I've tried to make Prussia's fighting nature partially due to the cruelty of people. 2. That wild little Hun boy- I wonder who "he" is... turns out, the Hun was a thorn in Prussia's side for quite some time, no?  
>3. Didya really think I'd let this story go by without mentioning Gilbird? I think not.<br>4. Actually, this particular blog post was written for him, by me... ha ha 5. Old Fritz- Frederick ll of Prussia or Frederick the Great.  
>6. Yes, Gilbo, you're awesome.<p> 


	4. Sweden Won't Talk

Germania continued on with his next memory. "And then there was my sister's child that I adopted..."

"Come, liebchen," Vati whispered to the expressionless boy sitting in his lap. "Don't you have anything to say?" The boy just stared vacantly at nothing in particular. Vati rocked and cuddled the child.

"Berwald," he said softly. No response. Vati knew that it had been a difficult time for little Berwald. His mother (Vati's sister) had died giving birth to another baby boy, who sadly didn't survive either. Since Berwald's father had been uninterested in caring for a child Vati had taken the little one on as his own.

In some ways, it was a perfect situation for the child. He'd gained an adoptive father who loved him and brothers to play with. Vati had imagined it so when he had gone to his late sister's husband to offer help...

_"How is Berwald?" Vati asked the rough faced, unsmiling man._

_"Little urchin won't talk," the man grunted in return. "He never could talk very well before but now he's just stopped altogether."_

_"What are you going to do with him?" Vati asked his brother-in-law._

_The man looked surprised. "The brat's going to have to earn his keep now! I won't coddle him like his mother did..."_

_ Vati broke in here. "If you don't want him around, I'll take him with me and raise him as my own."_

_"Fair enough," the lad's father shrugged. "I never could do anything with him."_

And with that, Vati scooped Berwald into his strong arms and carried him home. The child said nothing and never changed expression, but he did rest his head on Vati's shoulder, which seemed to be a good sign...

Unfortunately, things were not any better when Vati got Berwald home. If anything, he seemed more withdrawn than before. To make matters worse, Vati's other boys often became frustrated with their new sibling's uncommunicative behavior.

"Vati," Roddi wailed, clutching at his father's leg.  
>"What is it, Roddi?" Vati exclaimed, alarmed at the boy's terrified tone.<br>"He..."  
>"He? Who?"<br>"He keeps staring at me, Vati," Roddi whispered. "He's scary..."

Or...

"Hey," Gilly said, poking Berwald with his finger. Berwald sat as unmoving as a stone. Gilly poked him again, harder, and Berwald just looked blankly at him.  
>"Why don't you ever talk?" Gilly growled and poked him even harder. Without warning, Berwald reached out and shoved Gilly to the floor. Gilly scrambled to his feet and ran shrieking to Vati (because he hadn't expected Berwald to retaliate and his pride was injured), "He pushed me!" Berwald seemed not to notice, but remained stony-faced in his chair.<p>

In short, poor Berwald seemed to be lost in his own little world... and yet there were times when the lad seemed to show some feeling. One night, after everyone had eaten their evening meal, Vati sat down in his chair next to the hearth. He was quietly enjoying a few minutes of peace when he felt a small hand clutching at the edge of his tunic... he looked down to see Berwald placing his foot on one of the chair rungs in an attempt to climb into the chair with him.

Vati chuckled and took a gentle hold on the boy's arm to help him. After some brief struggling, Berwald scaled the side of the chair and settled himself into Vati's lap. The little fellow buried his face in Vati's chest and grasped tightly at his tunic with both hands.

The boy remained there for a few minutes while Vati held him and smoothed his hair. Then, just like that, Berwald squirmed out of Vati's arms and jumped down from the chair... Vati sighed. "I wish I knew what to do for you, Berwald," he said quietly as he watched the child make his way across the room.

Something looked odd about the way the boy was traveling... what was it? He cautiously took a few steps, then caught hold of the edge of the table. Hand over hand the lad felt his way along the table until he reached the end, where he put his hands out in front of him as though he were expecting something to be in front of him... when his small hand touched the wall, he placed it with the palm flat and continued on, sliding his hand along the wall as he toddled slowly.

Vati sucked a deep breath... could it be, just maybe... another memory came to his mind. The lad had been stricken with a fever when he was an infant. He had recovered fairly quickly, and seemed to have suffered no ill effects... but maybe...

Vati cautiously followed the child, and as he got closer, he purposely made his footfalls heavier... that caused the boy to turn around and grope his way back towards Vati as he could feel the footsteps coming toward him through he floorboards. He carefully proceeded forward until he caught hold of Vati's legs.

"Come, little fellow," Vati said softly, kneeling in front of the boy. He held up one finger in front of the boy's face and moved it back and forth. The child's blank blue eyes didn't move. Vati kept moving his finger closer and closer to Berwald's face until it was just about touching the little one's nose. At that point, the child squinted and tried to focus on Vati's finger... "Hmm," Vati said.

The staring, the blank expression, the feeling for obstacles... the boy was blind, or nearly so. "I should have considered that," Vati muttered to himself. Then another idea struck him about the boy's unresponsiveness. He held his hand next to Berwald's ear and snapped his fingers. Nothing. The boy didn't even turn his head.

Vati leaned in close to the child and placed his mouth next to the little ear. "Berwald," he said in a slightly louder than normal tone of voice. The boy started slightly, blinked and mumbled something unintelligible. _Poor little fellow_, Vati thought. _No wonder he can't communicate at all_.

With this new knowledge Vati consulted the physician, who fitted the boy with a pair of eyeglasses. "Nothing I can do about the hearing, really... but this should help." The eyeglasses did indeed help, for although his eyesight was still not perfect, it was improved enough that Berwald became more aware of his surroundings and began to interact accordingly.

Although he was still reserved, he started joining in with his brothers' games, and before long Vati and the boys had developed an elaborate system of hand signs to communicate with him. He began talking shortly after that, but he could be difficult to understand at times, so he just didn't talk much to anyone but those he was very close to...

"For his sake I wish I had figured it out sooner," Germania said. Rome nodded and said nothing.

"'Ft'rn'n, F'n," the tall man said to his friend as he arranged cinnamon buns on a tray.

"Hello, Berwald," the shorter man replied, grinning. "Expecting a crowd today, hmm?" he inquired as he surveyed the assorted breads and pastries that were being set out.

"Y'h," Berwald responded as he watched the progress of the coffee brewing. "'Nv't'd 'vr'y'n."

As his friends began arriving, he busied himself with making sure that everything was just so for his guests. In short order, everyone was seated in small groups, drinking coffee and enjoying each other's company. A small smile crossed Berwald's face. "L'v' F'ka," he said quietly.

Rome remarked as they watched the happy gathering, "I'd say he's done quite well for himself."

_Notes:_  
><em>1. Sweden is the most Germanic of the Nordic countries, and he was in the strip I was inspired by, so he is also included (along with Switzerland as mentioned before).<em>  
><em>2. My theory on why Sweden stares and mumbles: poor eyesight and hearing. He's really a sweetie... he doesn't quite get why people are intimidated by him. And yes, rudimentary glasses have been available for a very long time, hence the glasses helping some, but not completely.<em>  
><em>3. I got the idea of a fika (coffee break) gathering from Sweden's Hatafutte Parade.<em>  
><em>4. Quick Sweden translation: "Afternoon, Fin." "Yeah. Invited everyone." " I love fika (added the a there so it wouldn't be mistaken for something vulgar)."<em>


	5. Swissy Won't Play Nice

_**Wow, long chapter! Hope it's not too long... I gave Switzerland a head-canon backstory, and now my writer's block is gone.**_

"They grow up much too fast, don't they?" Germania jumped. He'd gotten so lost in his memories that he had forgotten about Rome sitting beside him. Rome chuckled and continued, "Don't blink, or they'll be telling you to get out of their lives, you're ruining everything, why are you so embarrassing..."

"You're so old! You're so boring!" Germania picked up where Rome left off. He smiled. "Yes, but when they're small..." He paused, and then sighed. "You, the parent, are the greatest thing ever." Rome leaned closer to his friend as his face took on a more serious expression. "Although there are things I wish I'd done better..."

"Don't we all," Rome said, putting his arm around Germania's shoulders. "Don't we all."

_Are they arguing again?_

Vati looked through the window to see Gilly and Berwald running as from a wild beast or raging fire. Gilly was gesturing wildly to Berwald, who was struggling to keep his eyeglasses on his face. "OWOWOWOWOW!" Gilly was yowling at the top of his lungs as rocks pelted the two boys, thrown from behind a large brush pile.

Vati groaned quietly and went to the front yard to see what the problem was. He soon encountered Roddi, sitting on the ground wheezing, hands covering his head as small rocks flew all around him. "Stop it, Basch," Roddi gasped. He'd obviously tried to run away, but due to his still frequent attacks of chest-tightening*, he'd run out of breath.

Vati lifted Roddi to his feet and helped him into the house, where Gilly and Berwald had also taken refuge. The other boys were breathing heavily and making signs back and forth. "He's being mean again, Vati," Roddi wheezed.

Vati rubbed his forehead in frustration. _This really is my fault_, he thought as he surveyed the seemingly empty front yard.

There was a story behind the boy's hateful behavior, of course. After the sudden and unexpected death of Vati's first wife (Roddi and Gilly's mother), he had been lonely and grief stricken... after some time, he met a very charming, lively, and not to mention beautiful young maiden. She had captivated him from the moment he laid eyes on her... so much that he had ignored the advice of those who were close to him.

"She's a bad one, Aldrich," they told him. "Stay away from her... she's just like her Mama..." Although there was a part of him that held the nagging feeling that the advice was all too true, he ignored the suspicions he felt and married her anyway.

What a mistake. She soon began to show her true self, belittling him, shouting at the children for no reason, and refusing to help with the home or do much of anything. Vati tried to bear with her, as she became pregnant soon after they married. She's young, he thought... this is all a bit much for her, all at once. Maybe when the little one is born, it will calm her.

Unfortunately, after the birth of her child (a boy) she became much worse. Not only had she begun beating the children, she also firmly refused to help care for the baby ("I never wanted him," she hissed at Vati, "I only wanted you to keep me") and began disappearing... often for days at a time.

One evening, Vati came home to a bruised and weeping Berwald sitting on the front stoop of the home, shivering from the cool night air. Through signs, Berwald made him understand that he had gotten a beating for dropping a cup on the floor and breaking it. Not only that, but his stepmother had put him out of the house and wouldn't let him back in.

Vati struggled to control his rage as he scooped Berwald into his arms and consoled him. Once inside the house, he sent the children to another room and confronted his sullen wife, who went from sullen to violent in the blink of an eye. She caught hold of a bowl on the table and threw it forcefully at Vati, who ducked just in time. The bowl smashed on the wall, and the woman growled in rage. She lunged at Vati, who gripped both of her wrists and pushed her against the wall.

"Get. Out," he told her in a low and deadly serious tone.

She snorted in disgust and stormed out of his presence. Vati could hear quiet cries coming from the children in the other room, so he went to comfort them. "Poor babies," he said softly as he held and rocked each one. "I'm so sorry you had to endure this." He went to the bassinet in the corner to check on baby Basch, who was strangely quiet... the bassinet was empty.

Vati gasped and ran to the back door of the house. It stood wide open. "_Mein Gott_," Vati whispered. She had taken the baby with her, for no other reason than to spite him. It was some time later that one of his soldiers came to his front door with a malnourished, neglected, and angry looking little blond lad.

"All alone, my lord," the man told him. "Wandering in the mountains, too. She must have abandoned him... tis a wonder he survived." When Vati reached for the child, the little one hissed at him and began wildly swinging his fists.

"_Gott_ only knows what happened to you in that time, Baschy," Vati sighed, clutching the struggling child to his chest.

Since then, he'd only warmed slightly and was still prone to spells of violent behavior... like now. Vati approached the brush pile cautiously. A rock flew from the pile and bounced harmlessly on the ground in front of him. "Basch? Liebchen?" Vati called softly. OOF! He tripped and fell over a vine that had been stretched between two saplings.

Vati sighed. "Baschy, come out please," he said as he got to his feet. Nervously, Basch crawled out of the brush pile and glanced apprehensively at his father. "Why are you trying to hurt your brothers?" Vati stepped forward and took hold of Basch's arm. What happened next was truly pitiful.

"Nooooo," Basch wailed, falling to the ground. He vainly tried to cover his head with his arm. "No, no, no..." He curled up in a ball and whimpered as though expecting a brutal beating.

"Oh, Basch," Vati got down on the ground beside him and put his arms around the cowering boy. "No one's going to beat you." The child cried quietly and put his little arms around his father's neck. "Please, my child, just try to get along with your brothers... please..."

"_Deus meus_," Rome breathed. "You never said anything about all that."

"One of my worst memories." Germania rubbed his forehead. "What a mistake." Both were silent for a minute, then Germania said softly, "He never did learn to get along with his brothers. He and Roddi were close for a while, but then they had a falling out. Poor Basch, I promised him that day that he'd never have to be alone again..." Germania's voice trailed off. "I failed him..."

"He's not alone." Rome sounded so sure of himself. Germania looked at him, puzzled. Rome chuckled and told him, "And you called me oblivious! Look at this..."

"Bruder, what are you doing?" The petite blond girl poked her head into the short blond man's study.

"Working on paperwork, Lili," the man answered, a faint hint of irritation in his voice. The girl didn't seem fazed by his tone and grinned sweetly.

"Let's go have a picnic, Basch! It's such a pretty day outside. I packed a basket already..." She clasped her hands together. "Please, please, please?"

The man sighed in frustration... then when he looked at the child's happy little face, he softened. "All right, but I need to work when we get home, so don't disturb me then. Understand?" The girl squealed in delight and threw her arms around her brother's neck. A smile cracked the man's stern face... but not for long.

"Your eldest son's child*," Rome commented. "He took her in when she had no one else."

Germania sighed in relief. "I guess they manage in spite of us sometimes, don't they?"

Notes:

1. Chest-tightening: an old name for asthma.  
>2.I made Liechtenstein the child of one of Germania's older kids.<p> 


	6. And Then The Youngest

Germania sighed. "At least I have my Basch," he said quietly. "He was the only good thing to come of that whole sorry affair." Rome nodded but still said nothing. He's awfully quiet, Germania thought. So he nudged him with his elbow and joked, "Say, who are you, and what have you done with my friend Romulus?"

Rome laughed. "What?"

"You haven't said a word for quite a while now," Germania told him.

"I CAN listen too, you know," Rome replied in a mock-insulted tone.

"Oh, so you can, but you just choose not to," Germania quipped, and both men laughed.

"You're breaking my heart, Aldrich," Rome said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Germania said, "Well, since you're going to listen..."

"Good morning, my little prince," Vati whispered to the small sleeping boy. The little one's clear blue eyes, the same shade as his father's, fluttered open. In fact, with his eyes and golden hair, the child looked very much like a miniature copy of Vati, except for one thing: the permanent glare on the lad's face.

"I'm not a little prince, Vater," the child said in an irritated tone. "I'm a brave soldier."

"Well, of course you are," Vati replied, brushing his hand over the boy's cheek. "But you can still be Vati's little prince." He was Vati's heir, after all... The boy scowled. "Come now, Luddi," Vati told him, "it's time to get up." Luddi yawned and got out of bed, stretching and drawing himself up to his full height before rushing to the common area of the house where they would eat their morning meal.

"The master has arrived!" he shouted at Gilly (who had chosen to remain with his Vati, the rest of the children having gone out on their own). "Stand at attention!" Gilly ignored him, and the child's face turned red with anger. "Didn't you hear? I said stand at attention!"

"I heard you," Gilly replied. "And you're being rude."

"I am not being rude!" Luddi shouted, clenching his fists. "I am our Vater's heir and you should respect me!" Vati really did not want to settle a fight between the two. For one thing, this sort of thing was happening more frequently as of late. For another, he himself had been feeling unwell lately, not to mention that his dearest friend had recently passed away. So he stayed out of the room in the hopes they would settle things on their own.

"Being the heir doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful to your older bruder, you know," Gilly answered, his voice calm and matter of fact. "If anything were to happen to Vati, then I would have charge over you until you were an adult."

At that statement, Luddi's eyes grew wide. "I don't want anything to happen to him," he told Gilly anxiously. "You don't think something will, do you?"

"No, bruder," Gilly replied hastily. "I just was saying that." What Gilly didn't tell his younger brother (or anyone else) was that he was very concerned about their father. Lately he hadn't been quite himself...

Vati came to the table and sat down very gingerly, as though he were in pain. Luddi burst into tears, all the bravado he had shown earlier gone when faced with the prospect of losing his father.

"Vati," Luddi wailed, abandoning the more formal "Vater" he normally used. "What's wrong with you? You aren't going to die are you?"

"No, my child," Vati replied quietly. "I'm just feeling a little unwell, and a little sad." He caught his breath slightly as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"Why sad, Vati?" Luddi asked, climbing out of his chair and into Vati's lap. He began twisting his fingers in Vati's long hair and looked at him intently. Vati smiled a little. Despite his tough facade, Luddi was still just a child.

"Well, do you remember my friend Sir Romulus? He died recently," Vati answered him sadly. Both boys nodded. They knew that Sir Romulus had not been well for quite some time. This piece of information only added to Gilly's troubled feeling...

"Vati, why are you so pale?" he asked suddenly. Luddi started wailing. "Why don't you go lie down, please Vati?"

"That's a good idea, Gilly," Vati replied. The weary sound of his voice made Luddi cry harder.

"What's wrong, Vati?" Luddi wailed. "Please be all right."

"Shh, boys, don't worry," Vati said soothingly, pulling Luddi into his lap and putting his arm around Gilly, who was now standing by his chair. "Don't be afraid, please. For me." Luddi sniffled and clutched at his father.

"You're scaring me, Vati," he whimpered. The way his lower lip trembled made it very difficult for Vati to keep back tears of his own.

"I'm sorry, Luddi," Vati answered him softly. "Maybe if I go lie down, I will feel better. Why don't you go and play for a while?" Luddi nodded and quietly disappeared. Vati looked up to see Gilly looking at him anxiously.

"Vati," Gilly said, his voice barely above a whisper, "are you... dying?" He dropped into the chair next to his father and took hold of his hand. _His fingers feel so cold,_ Gilly thought.

"I... I don't know, son," Vati answered. "I think I am close to the end, but... I don't know for sure." At that, Gilly lost his composure completely.

"Don't leave us, Vati," Gilly bawled, throwing his arms around Vati's neck. "We're not ready yet! I still need you! Luddi still needs you!"

"Hush now, Gilly," Vati whispered, stroking his son's hair. "Everything will be fine... Roddi will help you care for your younger brother... shhh... Gilly, my son, don't be afraid..."

Gilly choked a little and then managed to get out, "What can I do to help you, Vati?"

"Take care of your brother," Vati told him, then managed a weary and pain-filled smile. Gilly wiped his eyes and then embraced his father tightly. "I love you, Gilly," Vati said quietly. "I love you more than words can say."

"Go lie down, Vati," Gilly croaked. As he watched his father slowly make his way to his bed, he had a feeling... "Luddi," he called quietly to his younger brother, who was sitting in his little chair staring vacantly at the wall in front of him. The boy looked up. "Go and give Vati a cuddle and a kiss," Gilly told him. The boy looked puzzled but obeyed his older brother.

"Vati?" Luddi whispered to his father, who was lying on his bed with his eyes closed.  
>"Yes, my child?" Vati was barely audible.<p>

"I love you," Luddi said in a tiny voice, climbing up and lying in the crook of Vati's arm.

Vati looped his arm around the tiny form and twisted his head to kiss the little boy's cheek. "I love you too, Luddi... always..."

"That was the last time I told them I loved them," Germania said. "I never woke up from that... remember?" Rome nodded.

_Smoke filled the air. The screams of the dying mingled with the sounds of fierce warfare still being waged and the scent of ashes mixed with blood hung heavy over the field..._

_A young man rushed through the fallen bodies, tripping a few times, looking frantically left and right. "BRUDER! BRUDER!" he shouted... where is he? The man tripped over a fallen body. He grunted and fell to his knees. Turning around, he saw..._

_"BRUDER!" he wailed. Was he dead? The man ripped the boy's shirt open fiercely. Placing his ear on the lad's chest, he listened intently... no heartbeat... none... none... wait! There it was, faint and steady._

_"Please, no," he sobbed, picking the boy's small body up and carrying him out of the carnage. The boy remained unconscious despite his brother's efforts to revive him and it was uncertain whether or not he was going to survive, until..._

_The young man noticed a tiny movement of his brother's hand. He gasped and leaned over the small form. "Bruder?" he whispered, taking the boy in his arms. "Can you hear me? Please answer me..." he began to weep again. The boy's eyes fluttered open._

_"Wh-where am I?" he asked the young man. "And who are you?"_

"Lost his memory, hmm?" Rome asked.

Germania nodded. "Ja," he answered. "He had to start all over again. And then he had his troubles after that..." Germania gave Rome an abbreviated account of the problems he'd seen his youngest son encounter over the years.

"Well, it seems now that he's gotten through them," Rome replied with a twinkle in his eye.

The young blond man rubbed his forehead as he surveyed the papers on the table in front of him. He barely seemed to notice the hustle and bustle on the sidewalk right beside him, until...

"Veeeee! Heeeey, Luddi!" A young man with red hair bounded up to him and plopped down at the table beside him. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"What, Feliciano?" Ludwig (his nickname was Luddi) sighed. He was so busy, and now Feliciano was going to talk his ear off._ He IS my best friend_, Ludwig thought. _But he drives me crazy sometimes..._

"I just talked to a really pretty girl, actually two of them, and..." Feliciano began telling him all about the girls.

"Did you get her phone number?" Ludwig asked mechanically. He knew that was what Feliciano was going to mention next.

"Si! Got both of them... but..." Feliciano paused mischievously.

"Feli..." Ludwig said, a little irritated.

"The other girl, that one over there..." Ludwig looked in the direction that Feliciano was pointing. A pretty blonde girl with glasses and a sweet smile waved shyly. "She gave me her number... for you."

"For me?" Ludwig said uncertainly. "But..."

"Ve, come on Luddi! Live a little!"

Rome and Germania didn't say anything because they were laughing heartily. Finally, after a few minutes, Rome gasped, "Do they remind you of anyone?"

"What? Who?" Germania chuckled, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

N_otes:_

_1. My opinion: Germany= HRE with amnesia. There, I said it._

_2. The girl is just a girl at the end and had no significance at all. :D _

_3. Who are they just like? Gee, I don't know.  
><em>


	7. Epilogue

"Thank you, Romulus," Germania said after a few minutes silence.

"For what?" Rome looked surprised. "I should be thanking you for entertaining me. Why are you thanking me?"

"For listening," Germania replied. "For reliving some memories with me. And for being a friend."

Rome grinned. "Well, thank you in return for telling me. You know, that reminds me of this one time when Feli and Lovi..." Rome began to chatter about another one of his grandsons' misadventures.

I guess it's my turn to listen, Germania thought with a chuckle as he directed his attention to his friend's story.

0ⁿ000000ⁿ00000ⁿ000000ⁿ000000

Germania lay on his back in the soft grass, eyes closed. The afterlife is so peaceful, he thought as a warm breeze gently brushed his face. Even Romulus' constant talking is relaxing...

"Aldrich! Aldrich!" The subject of Germania's last thought ran up to him and flopped down on the grass next to him, grinning. "I just had an idea."

"Do tell," Germania replied, eyes still closed.

"Well," Rome continued in a conspiratorial tone, "sometimes the Big Guy looks the other way and pretends He doesn't notice that I sneak off to visit my boys. So... how about... next time I go, you come with me? That way you could visit your boys too."

"Are you sure about this, Romulus?" Germania asked uncertainly. Rome just laughed.

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed. "In fact, we can go now if you'd like."

"Now? I don't know..."

"Oh, come on, Aldrich," Rome replied, eyes twinkling, "live a little."

Some things never change, Germania thought as the two men shared another hearty laugh, no matter where you are.

0ⁿ000000ⁿ00000ⁿ000000ⁿ000000

Aaaaand... FIN. I do have a sequel in the works, tho... My apologies if Germania's death in the last chapter seemed a little hurried... but... I knew he had to die, I just didn't want him to! *sobs* So I just tried to not draw it out too long.

_**Germania: Thank you, Lady. I appreciate that.**_

**Rome: *pouting* What about me?**

_Lady: Sorry, Grandpa, you were already dead. Nothing I could do about that._

**Rome: *Okay face***

_Lady: Fellas, I'm going to miss you..._

_**Germania: Child, you're forgetting the sequel... don't get ahead of yourself.**  
><em>

_****_**Rome: Yay! Looks like the three of us are gonna be hanging out together for a little longer at least!**

**_Germania: Are you going to talk our ears off the whole time? _  
><strong>

**__Rome: *Sticks tongue out at Germania***

****_Lady: Okay boys, that's enough... I've got work to do._


End file.
